Topline
Moon dust that astronaut Neil Armstrong collected during 1969’s Apollo 11 mission that was man’s first visit to the moon could sell for a seven-figure sum at auction in April – years after the space agency fought in court to keep the dust out of private hands.
The moon dust samples were collected during the Apollo 11 mission in 1969 that put the first man on , [+]
Key Facts
Armstrong collected the dust as a contingency sample shortly after he took his first steps on the lunar surface and uttered his now-famous line, “that’s one small step for mana giant leap for mankind,” auction house Bonhams said.
The dust is expected to sell for between $800,000 and $1.2 million, according to Bonhams.
The lunar bag that contained it – and included only particles of lunar material left in the bag – was auctioned off in 2017 for $1.8 million,
A portion of the proceeds will go toward scientific charities, Bonham’s said.
The lunar dust will be sold April 13 as part of a space-themed auction that also includes a fragment of Sputnik 1the first space satellite ever launched.